The use of vinyl siding in place of wood, aluminum, or other materials on the exterior of a house has become quite prevalent in new construction as well as remodeling. Such siding historically has been made of aluminum or wood. Window and door openings in the exterior wall of a house are generally trimmed with wood casings or moldings framing the window, providing an aesthetically finished exterior look. One version of such a window trim has been the “Eastern” casing. Typically, the window manufacturer attaches a board about 3-4 inches wide that is about ¾ to 5/4 inches thick to the face of the window jamb and ships the window with this feature applied.
Alternatively, the builder constructs the wood casing at the site. The house siding, whether wood or vinyl, is fitted to or butted up against the trim casing. In the case of vinyl siding, a “J” channel is nailed to the wallboard and the vinyl siding slides behind the face of the J channel. One problem with this, however, is that the wooden casings are not compatible with aluminum or vinyl siding. For example, the wood requires continuous painting, defeating the maintenance-free advantages of vinyl siding, the appearance is inconsistent, and wood against vinyl creates the potential for unsightly gaps because of their different thermal characteristics.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,238 describes a window casing cover comprised of trim molding members that snap onto a plurality of separate brackets that are individually attached to the original casing. Although the cover provides a maintenance free surface, the numerous components involved and the “do it yourself” appearance of the add-on side portions and coverings do not offer the structure and strength or appearance of an integrated component, nor is the problem of differing thermal expansion/contraction resolved.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,389,824 discloses window trim comprised of upper and side panels and a window sill covering. Each panel has a receiving strip, which is fitted around the inside of the window casing, and a substantially flat panel is bent at the site into an L-shaped configuration, which is then fitted around the casing and overlies the siding. The receiving strip includes a spring-held receiving slot for the L-shaped panel. U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,204 discloses a similar receiving strip and L-shaped facing strip in which the receiving strip may be attached to the front of the casing. Both of these approaches are time consuming to fabricate and install, are comprised of many components having different angles and fittings, and include the cumbersome method of using L-hooks screwed into the house to hold and align the strips.
A do-it-yourself kit of prefabricated components for retrofitting cladding over an existing door or window frame is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,192. The kit comprises sections for covering the side and the header surfaces of the existing trim. A lengthwise lip folds inward along one edge of each section and a lengthwise flange portion folds inward around the opposite edge of each such section, gripping the trim in frictional engagement. A J-strip exists around the frame to retain the siding and the folded flange fitting between the J-strip and the siding. A drawback of this approach is that the use of friction to hold the cladding in place lacks stability and durability and will result in an inconsistent fit and appearance over time.
With the introduction of the vinyl window, an Eastern casing trim option had not been available in an extruded vinyl add-on. Accordingly, builders desiring the aesthetics of an Eastern casing were relegated to using wood and/or wood wrapped in aluminum cladding that requires custom fitting, a labor intensive and expensive process. Thus, a heretofore, unaddressed need exists in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies.